John McCain (b. August 29, 1936, in Panama Canal Zone, Panama) is a Republican member of the U.S. Senate from the state of Arizona. McCain was first elected to the Senate in 1986.

McCain most recently won re-election in 2010. He defeated Rodney Glassman (D), David Nolan (L), Jerry Joslyn (G) and a handful of write-in candidates in the general election.

McCain began his political career by winning election to the U.S. House in 1982. He served in that position until his election to the Senate in 1986. McCain unsuccessfully ran for president in 2008, losing to Barack Obama in the general election.

McCain suggested that this may be his last term in office. He told Obama supporters, "The president and I, he's in his last term, I'm probably in mine, the relationship we have had over the past three years is quite good. Quite good." He then told a reporter, "I was trying to make a point. I have to decide in about two years so I don’t have to make a decision. I don’t want to be one of these old guys that should’ve shoved off."[1]

Based on analysis of multiple outside rankings, McCain is an average Republican member of Congress, meaning he will vote with the Republican Party on the majority of bills.

Career

Below is an abbreviated outline of McCain's academic, professional and political career:[2]

Key votes

113th Congress

The second session of the 113th Congress enacted into law 114 out of the 3,036 introduced bills (3.8 percent). Comparatively, the 112th Congress had 4.2 percent of introduced bills enacted into law in the second session.[4] The Senate confirmed 13,949 out of 18,323 executive nominations received (76.1 percent). For more information pertaining to McCain's voting record in the 113th Congress, please see the below sections.[5]

National security

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Syria authorization On September 4, 2013, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee narrowly approved an authorization for President Obama to use limited force against Syria.[6] It was approved by a 10-7 vote.[7][6] The vote came after a three-hour briefing with top Obama administration officials, including Secretary of State John Kerry and Director of National Intelligence James Clapper.[7]

John Brennan CIA nomination

McCain voted for the confirmation of John Brennan as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. The nomination was confirmed by the Senate on March 7, 2013, with a vote of 63 - 34. Most Democrats supported the nomination, while Republicans were somewhat divided with roughly one-third supporting the nomination.[9]

Economy

Farm bill

On February 4, 2014, the Democratic controlled Senate approved the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013, H.R. 2642, also known as the Farm Bill.[10] It passed the Senate with a vote of 68-32. The nearly 1,000-page bill reformed and continued various programs of the Department of Agriculture through 2018. The $1 trillion bill expanded crop insurance for farmers by $7 billion over the next decade and created new subsidies for rice and peanut growers that will kick in when prices drop; however, cuts to the food stamp program cut an average of $90 per month for 1.7 million people in 15 states.[11] McCain voted with 22 other Republicansenators against the bill.

2014 Budget

On January 16, 2014, the Democratic-controlled Senate approved H.R. 3547, a $1.1 trillion spending bill to fund the government through September 30, 2014.[12][13] The Senate voted 72-26 for the 1,582 page bill, with 17 Republicans and 55 Democrats voting in favor of the bill.[13] The omnibus package included 12 annual spending bills to fund federal operations.[14] It increased the paychecks of federal workers and military personnel by 1 percent, increased Head Start funding for early childhood education by $1 billion, reduced funding to the Internal Revenue Service and the Environmental Protection Agency, and left the Affordable Care Act without any drastic cuts.

Government shutdown

During the shutdown in October 2013, the Senate rejected, down party lines, every House-originated bill that stripped the budget of funding for the Affordable Care Act. A deal was reached late on October 16, 2013, just hours before the debt ceiling deadline. The bill to reopen the government, H.R. 2775, lifted the $16.7 trillion debt limit and funded the government through January 15, 2014. Federal employees also received retroactive pay for the shutdown period. The only concession made by Senate Democrats was to require income verification for Obamacare subsidies.[15] The final vote on H.R. 2775 was 81-18, with all 18 votes against the bill from Republican members. McCain voted with the Democratic Party for the bill.[16]

No Budget, No Pay Act of 2013

McCain voted for H.R.325 -- No Budget, No Pay Act of 2013. The bill passed the Senate on January 31, 2013, with a vote of 64 - 34. The purpose of the bill was to temporarily suspend the debt ceiling and withhold the pay of members of Congress until a budget could be passed. The vote largely followed party lines with Democrats overwhelmingly supporting it and many Republicans in opposition to the bill.[17]

Immigration

Mexico-U.S. border

McCain voted against Senate Amendment 1197 -- Requires the Completion of the Fence Along the United States-Mexico Border. The amendment was rejected by the Senate on June 18, 2013, with a vote of 39 - 54. The purpose of the amendment was to require the completion of 350 miles of fence described in the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 before registered provisional immigrant status may be granted. It would also require 700 miles of fence be completed before the status of registered provisional immigrants may be changed to permanent resident status. The vote followed party lines.[18]

Social issues

Violence Against Women (2013)

McCain voted for S.47 -- Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013. The bill was passed by the Senate on February 12, 2013, with a vote of 78 - 22. The purpose of the bill was to combat violence against women, from domestic violence to international trafficking in persons. All 22 dissenting votes were cast by Republicans.[19]

Background checks on gun sales

On April 17, 2013, the U.S. Senate took a vote on and defeated a measure that would have expanded federal background checks for firearms purchases.[20] The vote was 54-46, with supporters falling six votes short of the required 60-vote threshold.[21] McCain was one of the 4 Republican Senators who voted in favor of the measure.[22]

Previous congressional sessions

Fiscal Cliff

McCain voted for the fiscal cliff compromise bill, which made permanent most of the Bush tax cuts originally passed in 2001 and 2003 while also raising tax rates on the highest income levels. The bill was passed in the Senate by an 89 - 8 vote on January 1, 2013.[23]

Issues

On The Issues Vote Match

Based on the results of the On The Issues VoteMatch quiz, McCain is a Libertarian-Leaning Conservative. McCain received a score of 28 percent on personal issues and 79 percent on economic issues. On The Issues conducts its VoteMatch analysis of all Congressional members based on 20 issue areas, using voting records, statements to the media, debate transcripts or citations from books authored by or about the candidate.[24]

On The Issues organization logo.

The table below contains the results of analysis compiled by staff at On The Issues.

Note: Information last updated: 2014.[26] If you notice the rating has changed, email us.

National security

Afghanistan

McCain met with Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai, along with Lindsey Graham in January 2014. The two senators urged Karzai to stop releasing prisoners that are a danger to U.S. security. They also urged him to sign the U.S.-Afghan bilateral security agreement. The U.S. has threatened to remove all U.S. troops from Afghanistan by the end of 2014 if Karzai does not sign the agreement. Karzai wants to wait until after the spring election. Karzai is term-limited and can't seek re-election in the spring.[27]

American response in Syria

McCain said the following about use-of-force in Syria after meeting with PresidentObama: "A rejection of this resolution would be catastrophic, not just for him but for the institution of the presidency and the credibility of the United States."[28]

Despite this belief, McCain has yet to be persuaded to support Obama since the president has yet to outline his plan of attack. He said, "I’m already talking to a lot of my colleagues, but before I can persuade them to support this, I have to be persuaded. I’m saying that I think the president made sense in a lot of things he had to say, but we are a long way from achieving what I think would be a most effective strategy.[28]

McCain said the limited actions that would be authorized by the new draft resolution don’t go far enough in responding to Syrian leader Bashar Assad’s alleged use of chemical weapons last month.[29]

Congressional briefings
McCain blasted the briefings held with congressional members, saying in an interview with POLITICO, "One reason is because they are not specific: They are not answering many of the questions. Certainly, that was the case in the Armed Services Committee. And Gen. Dempsey doesn’t have a lot of credibility."[30]

Statement on Russian deal
McCain and Senator Lindsey Graham released a joint statement on the Russian deal with Syria to relinquish Syria's chemical weapons. McCain and Graham called the deal, "an act of provocative weakness on America’s part. We cannot imagine a worse signal to send to Iran as it continues its push for a nuclear weapon." They added, "Is the message of this agreement that Assad is now our negotiating partner, and that he can go on slaughtering innocent civilians and destabilizing the Middle East using every tool of warfare, so long as he does not use chemical weapons? That is morally and strategically indefensible." The two senators offered their own recommendation saying, “The only way this underlying conflict can be brought to a decent end is by significantly increasing our support to moderate opposition forces in Syria. We must strengthen their ability to degrade Assad’s military advantage, change the momentum on the battlefield, and thereby create real conditions for a negotiated end to the conflict."[31]

Further Syria statements
McCain made another statement on the Russian deal with Syria on September 15, 2013. He said, "It's not a matter of trust. It's a matter of whether it will be enforced. [Russia foreign secretary Sergei Lavrov] said 'there is nothing in this agreement about the use of force,' i.e. they will not agree to the use of force no matter what [Syrian President] Bashar Assad does." He added, "There is not a seriousness on the part of the Russians. We’re going to see the Russians facilitating the departure of chemical weapons while plane load after plane load of Russian aircraft coming into Damascus full of weapons and devices to kill Syrians."[32]

On March 6, 2013, Senator Rand Paul (R) led a 13-hour filibuster of President Obama's CIA Director nominee, John Brennan. Paul started the filibuster in order to highlight his concerns about the administration's drone policies. In particular, Paul said he was concerned about whether a drone could be used to kill an American citizen within the United States border, without any due process involved. Paul and other civil liberties activists have been critical that President Obama did not offer a clear response to the question. A total of 14 senators joined Paul in the filibuster -- 13 Republicans and one Democrat.[33][34][35]

McCain spoke out against Rand Paul, following the filibuster. He quoted the following from a Wall Street Journal editorial criticizing the filibuster, "If Mr. Paul wants to be taken seriously, he needs to do more than pull political stunts that fire up impressionable libertarian kids in college dorms."[36]

McCain also blasted Paul for his remarks about the United States government being able to use a drone to kill an American citizen who spoke out against government policy, referencing Paul's comment about Jane Fonda. He stated, "To somehow say that someone who disagrees with American policy and even may demonstrate against it, is somehow a member of an organization which makes that individual an enemy combatant is simply false."[36]

He continued his criticism of Paul in the days following the filibuster. In an interview with the Huffington Post, McCain said: "They were elected, nobody believes that there was a corrupt election, anything else. But I also think that when, you know, it's always the wacko birds on right and left that get the media megaphone."[37]

Dennis Rodman

After former NBA player Dennis Rodman returned from a second trip to North Korea, McCain criticized Rodman's public appearances with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. McCain said:

"I think he’s an idiot. I think he’s the very person that — of not great intellect who doesn’t understand that he really does provide propaganda for this very brutal ruthless young man."[38]

Immigration

Gang of Eight

McCain is a member of the group of senators deemed the "Gang of Eight." This term is used to reference eight of the most influential Senators on immigration reform and includes four senators from each party.[39] The group calls for comprehensive and bipartisan immigration legislation that includes their "four basic pillars":

1. A “tough but fair path to citizenship . . . .contingent upon securing our borders and tracking whether legal immigrants have left the country as required”;

4. Setting up a system for admitting future workers (although the term “guest worker” is not used).[40]

Least popular senator

A poll released by Public Policy Polling on March 5, 2014, declared John McCain as the least popular Senator in the country. According to the poll, only 30% of Arizonans approve of the job McCain is doing while 54% disapprove. Numbers by party are 35/55 for Republicans, 29/53 for Democrats and 25/55 for independents.[41]

Arizona GOP rebuke

The Arizona Republican Party censured Senator McCain for his record of voting with Democrats. The resolution to censure said, "Only in times of great crisis or betrayal is it necessary to publicly censure our leaders. Today we are faced with both. For too long we have waited, hoping Senator McCain would return to our party’s values on his own. That has not happened."[43]

While the censure has no effect on McCain's work in Congress, the party pledged that it would not support, campaign for or endorse McCain.[43]

Hillary Clinton

McCain said the following about a possible Hillary Clinton presidential run in 2016: "I don’t think there’s any doubt that Secretary Clinton would be a very strong candidate. I don’t think there’s any doubt she has widespread support. Her work as secretary of state, with the exception of this issue of Benghazi — which isn’t going away — I think has been outstanding. I think she would be viewed by anyone, Republican or Democrat, as a very formidable candidate for 2016."[44]

Hillary's favorite Republican

Hillary Clinton named McCain as her favorite member of the GOP during an interview in June 2014. McCain responded by saying, "I hope this program is blacked out in Arizona. Please cut this." He went on to say, "I think it's my job to work with every president, if she regrettably obtains the presidency. I respect Hillary Clinton. I may not agree with her."[45]

Elections

2016

Despite previously suggesting that his current term would be his last, McCain announced in October 2013 that he was still weighing a decision on whether or not to run for re-election to his U.S. Senate seat in 2016. "I'm seriously thinking about maybe giving another opportunity for you to vote for or against me in a few years from now," McCain said during an interview with a Phoenix radio station.[46]

Fundraiser

McCain held his first fundraising reception in New York on December 16. This was significant due to the fact that there has been much speculation about whether McCain will pursue re-election in 2016. He wrote in an email to prior donors, "There is no doubt that we live in very challenging times and every day we see that elections really do have consequences. I vow to continue to do the right thing, not just for my political party and not just against the other political party, but for our country."[47]

2010

On November 2, 2010, John McCain won re-election to the United States Senate. He defeated Rodney Glassman (D), David Nolan (L), Jerry Joslyn (G) and a handful of write-in candidates in the general election.[48]

U.S. Senate, Arizona General Election, 2010

Party

Candidate

Vote %

Votes

Republican

John McCainincumbent

41.4%

1,005,615

Democratic

Rodney Glassman

24.4%

592,011

Libertarian

David Nolan

32.9%

800,097

Green

Jerry Joslyn

1%

24,603

Write-in

Ian Gilyeat

0.2%

5,938

Write-in

Loyd Ellis

0%

160

Write-in

Santos Chavez

0%

39

Write-in

Sydney Dudikoff

0%

14

Write-in

Ray Caplette

0%

7

Total Votes

2,428,484

Full history

To view the full congressional electoral history for John McCain, click [show] to expand the section.

2008
In 2008, John McCain was defeated in the presidential election by Barack Obama. Ralph Nader (Peace and Freedom), Bob Barr (L), Chuck Baldwin (Constitution) and Cynthia McKinney (Green) also ran in the election on November 4, 2008.

On November 2, 2004, John McCain won re-election to the United States Senate. He defeated Stuart Starky (D) and Ernest Hancock (L) in the general election.[50]

U.S. Senate, Arizona General Election, 2004

Party

Candidate

Vote %

Votes

Republican

John McCainincumbent

76.7%

1,505,372

Democratic

Stuart Starky

20.6%

404,507

Libertarian

Ernest Hancock

2.6%

51,798

Total Votes

1,961,677

1998

On November 3, 1998, John McCain won re-election to the United States Senate. He defeated Ed Ranger (D), John Zajac (L) and Bob Park (Reform) in the general election.[51]

U.S. Senate, Arizona General Election, 1998

Party

Candidate

Vote %

Votes

Republican

John McCainincumbent

68.7%

696,577

Democratic

Ed Ranger

27.2%

275,224

Libertarian

John Zajac

2.3%

23,004

Reform

Bob Park

1.8%

18,288

N/A

Write-in

0%

187

Total Votes

1,013,280

1992

On November 3, 1992, John McCain won re-election to the United States Senate. He defeated Claire Sargent (D), Evan Mecham (I), Kiana Delamare (L) and Ed Finkelstein (New Alliance) in the general election.[52]

U.S. Senate, Arizona General Election, 1992

Party

Candidate

Vote %

Votes

Republican

John McCainincumbent

55.8%

771,395

Democratic

Claire Sargent

31.6%

436,321

Independent

Evan Mecham

10.5%

145,361

Libertarian

Kiana Delamare

1.6%

22,613

New Alliance

Ed Finkelstein

0.5%

6,335

N/A

Write-in

0%

26

Total Votes

1,382,051

1986

On November 4, 1986, John McCain won election to the United States Senate. He defeated Richard Kimball (D) and Write-in candidates Paul Rodriguez, Robert Winn and David Zilly in the general election.[53]

U.S. Senate, Arizona General Election, 1986

Party

Candidate

Vote %

Votes

Republican

John McCain

60.5%

521,850

Democratic

Richard Kimball

39.5%

340,965

Write-in

Paul Rodriguez

0%

60

Write-in

Robert Winn

0%

28

Write-in

David Zilly

0%

18

Total Votes

862,921

1984

On November 6, 1984, John McCain won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Harry Braun, III (D) in the general election.[54]

U.S. House, Arizona District 1 General Election, 1984

Party

Candidate

Vote %

Votes

Republican

John McCainincumbent

78.1%

162,418

Democratic

Harry Braun, III

21.9%

45,609

Total Votes

208,027

1982

On November 2, 1982, John McCain won election to the United States House. He defeated William Hegarty (D) and Richard Dodge (L) in the general election.[55]

U.S. House, Arizona District 1 General Election, 1982

Party

Candidate

Vote %

Votes

Republican

John McCain

65.9%

89,116

Democratic

William Hegarty

30.5%

41,261

Libertarian

Richard Dodge

3.6%

4,850

Total Votes

135,227

Campaign donors

Comprehensive donor information for McCain is available dating back to 2004. Based on available campaign finance records, McCain raised a total of $32,553,032 during that time period. This information was last updated on March 25, 2013.[56]

PGI: Change in net worth

Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org, McCain's net worth as of 2012 was estimated between $2,719,122 and $12,136,982. That averages to $7,428,052, which is higher than the average net worth of Republican senators in 2012 of $6,956,438.47. McCain ranked as the 19th most wealthy senator in 2012.[59] Between 2004 and 2012, McCain's calculated net worth[60] decreased by an average of 9 percent per year. Between 2004 and 2012, the average annual percentage increase for a member of Congress was 15.4 percent.[61]

Comparatively, the American citizen experienced a median yearly decline in net worth of -0.94%.[63]

The data used to calculate changes in net worth may include changes resulting from assets gained through marriage, inheritance, changes in family estates and/or trusts, changes in family business ownership and many other variables unrelated to a member's behavior in Congress.

Lifetime voting record

According to the website GovTrack, McCain missed 937 of 8,794 roll call votes from January 1987 to March 2013. This amounts to 10.7%, which is worse than the median of 1.7% among current senators as of March 2013.[66]

Congressional staff salaries

The website Legistorm compiles staff salary information for members of Congress. McCain paid his congressional staff a total of $2,549,392 in 2011. He ranked 31st on the list of the lowest paid Republican senatorial staff salaries and ranked 49th overall of the lowest paid senatorial staff salaries in 2011. Overall, Arizona ranked 31st in average salary for senatorial staff. The average U.S. Senate congressional staff was paid $2,529,141.70 in fiscal year 2011.[67]

National Journal vote ratings

Each year National Journal publishes an analysis of how liberally or conservatively each member of Congress voted in the previous year. Click the link above for the full ratings of all members of Congress.

2013

McCain ranked 43rd in the conservative rankings among U.S. senators in 2013.[68]

2012

McCain ranked 28th in the conservative rankings among U.S. senators in 2012.[69]

2011

McCain ranked 16th in the conservative rankings among U.S. senators in 2011.[70]

Voting with party

The website OpenCongress tracks how often members of Congress vote with the majority of the chamber caucus.

2014

McCain voted with the Republican Party 81.2% of the time, which ranked 38th among the 45 Senate Republican members as of July 2014.[71]

2013

McCain voted with the Republican Party 88.8% of the time, which ranked 23rd among the 45 Senate Republican members as of June 2013.[72]

Personal

McCain and his wife, Cindy, have seven children.

Recent news

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All stories may not be relevant to this page due to the nature of the search engine.

↑The questions in the quiz are broken down into two sections -- social and economic. In social questions, liberals and libertarians agree in choosing the less-government answers, while conservatives and populists agree in choosing the more restrictive answers. For the economic questions, conservatives and libertarians agree in choosing the less-government answers, while liberals and populists agree in choosing the more restrictive answers.